A Word from me 3:
I chose the story, Poet’s Wife, by Nayani Krishnakumari, a renowned scholar in Telugu
literature and folklore, for translation for its offbeat technique. Some of you maybe aware that
the Telugu usage of tense varies considerably from English usage.
The Poet’s Wife in Telugu is narrated in present tense. In my translation, I used past tense in
order to obviate the possible incongruities in narration.
Secondly, in this story there is one more element even more complex. That is the use of pen as a
commentator. Often the author assumes the role of a commentator in a narrative. In this story,
however, the author created the pen as a commentator, which can be confusing for readers not
familiar with oral tradition.
I have written to the author for her comments in this regard. In the meantime, I thought I would
upload the story and invite comments from you.
NM
February 2008.